Biology by Analogy was written by a high school Biology teacher who uses analogies as tools for explaining difficult concepts to her class. This article details two particular analogies that the teacher uses in her classroom; DNA is like a cookbook and protein synthesis is like carpentry. Using these two analogies, the teacher illustrates the "Teaching with Analogies (TWA) model." This model provides a systematic way for teachers to present analogies to students and is made up of six operations. These operations are, (1) To introduce the target concept to students; (2) To remind students of what they know of the analog concept; (3) To identify the relevant features of the target and analog; (4) To map similarities; (5) To indicate where the analogy breaks down: (6) and to draw conclusions. In this model, the formation of misconceptions is minimized by helping students identify areas where the analogy breaks down.
The reason I found this article so interesting is because the "Teaching with Analogies model" is a great example of a teaching technique which encompasses all three of the criteria needed for students to learn. This model uses students' prior knowledge, creates a framework for the new information to be stored, and uses metacognition. The teacher assesses prior knowledge by asking the students what they know about the new concept already, then she uses the analogy as the framework for the new information to be "hung", and finally she wraps up the class by having the students answer questions that emphasize metacognition. The analogies help students to learn new concepts by relating them to other concepts which they are already familiar with. In the example of protein synthesis is like carpentry, the concept of building something from wood is used to help demonstrate to students that proteins are built in a similar manner. The teacher explains to the students that, like with carpentry, protein synthesis is accomplished in steps, using various materials and tools. In this example, different colored blocks of wood represent different amino acids, while a drill represents an enzyme, and a screw represents a peptide bond. By the end of the class period the students have used these materials to build a wooden chain, which in fact, represents a protein. When I begin teaching, I would love to try both of these analogies in my classroom. I would also like to use these two examples, as models, that I can follow to build my own analogies for other class topics.
Biology by Analogy
Biology by Analogy was written by a high school Biology teacher who uses analogies as tools for explaining difficult concepts to her class. This article details two particular analogies that the teacher uses in her classroom; DNA is like a cookbook and protein synthesis is like carpentry. Using these two analogies, the teacher illustrates the "Teaching with Analogies (TWA) model." This model provides a systematic way for teachers to present analogies to students and is made up of six operations. These operations are, (1) To introduce the target concept to students; (2) To remind students of what they know of the analog concept; (3) To identify the relevant features of the target and analog; (4) To map similarities; (5) To indicate where the analogy breaks down: (6) and to draw conclusions. In this model, the formation of misconceptions is minimized by helping students identify areas where the analogy breaks down.
The reason I found this article so interesting is because the "Teaching with Analogies model" is a great example of a teaching technique which encompasses all three of the criteria needed for students to learn. This model uses students' prior knowledge, creates a framework for the new information to be stored, and uses metacognition. The teacher assesses prior knowledge by asking the students what they know about the new concept already, then she uses the analogy as the framework for the new information to be "hung", and finally she wraps up the class by having the students answer questions that emphasize metacognition. The analogies help students to learn new concepts by relating them to other concepts which they are already familiar with. In the example of protein synthesis is like carpentry, the concept of building something from wood is used to help demonstrate to students that proteins are built in a similar manner. The teacher explains to the students that, like with carpentry, protein synthesis is accomplished in steps, using various materials and tools. In this example, different colored blocks of wood represent different amino acids, while a drill represents an enzyme, and a screw represents a peptide bond. By the end of the class period the students have used these materials to build a wooden chain, which in fact, represents a protein. When I begin teaching, I would love to try both of these analogies in my classroom. I would also like to use these two examples, as models, that I can follow to build my own analogies for other class topics.